coulrophobe

Kuang Shi is such an odd scent on my skin. All the notes listed usually work for me - I'm a slathering fool for fruits and white musk, but this one doesn't smell anything like I thought it would. It's sharp, bright, and very cold-smelling - and there's an underlying tartness that's almost aquatic; it reminds me of the tart note in Akuma. I'm really surprised that the musk and sandalwood don't add any warmth to this blend... the description sounded warm and fruity, but instead this is very cool and airy on my skin. It's interesting, but a little unsettling. As zombies should be, I suppose.

Juliet is very delicate and girly on me - the lily, sweet pea and honeysuckle seem to be the strongest (and luckily, those are all florals that smell decent on me). I was hoping for more musk and pear, but it's still a very pleasant blend. Very fresh, clean and feminine in a non-sexy way... several people have said this is a "little girl" scent, and I'd have to agree - I can see this being a "first perfume" for a young girl. Not necessarily me, but might make a great daytime/work scent.

In the imp: This smells a little more sharp and herbal than what I usually go for... but I'm trying it. Because I'm a trooper like that. On: Once the oil hits my skin, the florals start to emerge. To me, this doesn't smell wet/aquatic, but rather airy/ozoney with a good dose of moisture. Clean, damp air and fog, with sweet (but not overbearing flowers). I agree with what QueenFae said - this is what I thought June Gloom would smell like, dreamy and misty (instead, all J.G. gave me was lemons!). A lot of the aquatic/ozone florals go sour on me, but Niflheim stays firmly on the clean/non-rancid side (yay!). I can't actually distinguish which florals are in it, but it conjures up images of magnolia, dogwood, and weeping willows... I think I'm liking this quite a bit.

At first, this smells like a nice commercial perfume on me, mostly jasmine and sandalwood. I get a heavy, sweet, "red" impression from this - probably a bit too heavy and sweet for me. But then it lightens up - and it's mainly just jasmine. Sadly, jasmine is one of the florals I'm a bit lukewarm on, and with my chemistry this blend turns a bit generic and just doesn't stand out the way I thought it would. Not a bad reaction, by any means - but just not really "me."

I busted out the Antique Lace yesterday for a job interview (I'll admit it - it's because I knew my interviewer was male, and the guys always seem to like vanilla!). I had a callback for a second interview before I'd even gotten home. Looks like I'll be wearing Antique Lace again today for the all-day intensive interview (yikes!). I so wish it would come back, so more people could experience this lovely oil.

Another blend I'm trying in my quest to get over my fear of almonds. In the imp: Uh... I've learned not to smell almond scents in the imp. It'll smell like almond and make me run screaming. But if I try it on, it'll be gone in roughly one minute. Wet on skin: Not smelling it yet... patience, grasshopper... Drydown: After the last whiffs of almond have dissapated, I get a big ol' wallop alongside the head with the sandalwood - definitely the strongest note with my chemistry. The musk warms it up a bit, and the jasmine provides a little bit of sweetness... but this is largely red sandalwood. Which isn't a bad thing at all, but a leeeeetle more musk would have made it better with my chemistry. Still - since it doesn't smell like its wet stage, I can consider this a success! Take that, stinking almonds!

My latest kick has been going through my collection and "braving the almonds." While I hate almonds with a seething passion (just almond scent really - I can eat them, as long as it's not almond paste/marzipan or anything else that brings out their cyanide-y taste), I've noticed that the scent burns off within about 5 minutes... at least with my chemistry. So... *bravely pops open Seraglio imp* In the imp: the predictable "Ack! Cyanide!" response. Wet on skin: *waits for the almond to dissipate* OK. Now I'm getting the orange and rose, but it's not as spicy as I would have hoped... this just doesn't make me feel like a harem girl. As it dries down, the roses kind of take over, and I can't smell much else. So, while it's not the dreaded almonds that kill this one for me, it's just not my kind of scent.

Hatian Lover is actually quite similar to Tarot: The Magician on me. Both have three stages, the latter two being identical. While The Magician goes from herbal to licorice/anise to woodsmoke on me, Hatian Lover goes from almond (eek!) to licorice/anise to woodsmoke. Both take about 15 minutes to reach full woodsmoke potency... I've been wearing Hatian Lover while updating my LJ, and all of a sudden was wondering who in their right mind would have fired up there woodstove in this weather, because I smelled an unseasonable waft of smoke! Not the best scent for me - though the smoky phase is nostalgic - but it might be lovely on a guy.

In the imp: I'm having a hard time smelling this one, but I'm detecting a faint woody smell. On: Ah yes, very woody - dry, and not piney (thankfully)... almost cedary, but not quite. There's also an amber/frankincense note in there, adding a sweet resiny glow to the blend - and maybe some sort of light, golden flower (someone said perhaps heliotrope... I can see that). To me, this smells like sweet, fresh sawdust, which isn't a negative thing at all. A very unique and comforting blend.

As a complete slathering fangirl of white musk, I had to try this one... not one but three white musks? *drool* But I've set limits for myself, and will not order bottles unsniffed, so I got a test imp. In the imp: Definitely patchouli, but it's mild and almost has a dry wood smell. Judging from the color of the oil, there's just a dab of patchouli, which is probably for the best... I have a love/hate relationship with the "eau de dirty hippie" and like it best when it's playing a supporting role. On: From reading the other reviews, I feel like the only person who thinks white musk smells warm... to me it smells like what babies should smell like, but seldom do. Clean, soft, warm and kinda innocent - that's white musk to me. Vechernyaya is a very interesting blend - part woody, part musky, and subtle sweet floral from the poppy... this is like dry wood that's been bleached by the sun and strewn with flowers. Beautiful and unique... my 5 ML list is growing at an alarming rate.

In the imp: Very astringent smelling... it reminds me of Noxema! On: Hoo boy... this is very sharp, green, and menthol-y - must be the cypress and juniper. There's also an odd sweet warmth that's contrasting with the cool notes in a vaguely disconcerting way - I think that's the myrrh. Drydown: I can eventually smell the violets, but the lily of the valley never really made itself know. I like floral blends more than green scents, so I would have preferred a more florally reaction, like some people seemed to have. I like violet, but there are other blends where I can smell it better - I think the juniper and cypress dominate this one too much for my tastes and chemistry.

I first tried Zephyr several months ago, but that was in the midst of an imp-smelling orgy when an order came in, so I didn't really give it as much attention as it deserved - and now that my nose has "learned" a bit more, I can appreciate it better. In the imp: strong, cool, and a bit herbal/citrusy - this is one of those blends that smells a bit alcoholy to me, even though I know there's no alcohol in there. On my skin: Mmm, there's the musk! I'm not as familiar with the China musk, but have always been a huge fan of white musk. The lemony notes stay in the background, thankfully, just adding a hint of citrus to the blend. The sandalwood lends a light powderyness (a *good* kind of powder, though), and the white flowers provide a subtle sweetness. Another blend for my bottle wishlist... lovely.

In the imp: Very strong and woodsy-herbal... not what I usually go for, so I'd put off testing this one for a while. On: wet, it's exactly as it smells in the imp - but as it begins to dry down, I can detect a cinnamon-like spicyness... nice! The scent turns out much more dry than I expected; dry woods tend to work better with my chemistry, so I'm glad this on lost it's "greenness". I'm left with a mildly spicy dry wood smell that's really quite soothing, and natural smelling without making me actually smell like vegetation.

In the imp: Very green and herbal smelling. On: Green and fresh, still very herbal - wait a minute... rose? Yes. Wolfsbane has morphed entirely into a strong rose blend. A little sharp and the tiniest bit sour... this is like roses spritzed with pickle juice. Needless to say, not for me, but definitely... interesting.

I almost didn't order this because of the roses, but then caved. Recently I've been having an uncharacteristic run of good luck with rose scents, so I was hopeful. In the bottle: I can definitely smell the roses (uh oh...) and something else that's a bit sharp and green. On: While the roses are the dominant note, they're not too out of control... I'm picturing quiet little pink roses, rather than loud obnoxious ones. As LitA dries down, I do catch little whiffs of other notes - a bit of carnationy spice here, a bit of powdery vanilla/benzoin there. But mostly this is a subtle rose scent. It's not quite me, but I'm thankful the roses aren't out of control or too artificial smelling on me... and given my luck with most rose blends, that's pretty high praise!

I was a little scared to try this one, based on description alone... vetiver and I often don't get along, as it has a tendency to make me smell like motor oil, while I prefer not to. In the imp: Yep, that's the simultaneously sweet and bitter, somewhat acrid smell of vetiver. This might not be pretty. On: Aaahhh... now I see where the slow, heavy molasses associations come in! The myrrh sweetens this up considerably, and the vetiver just sort of slouches around quietly under the surface. It doesn't smell quite right on me, but it's still much better than I expected. There's a sweetness, a smokiness, and gritty/earthy feel to it... Sloth is the smell of hanging around at my favorite industrial club, with it's grimy floors, smoke-filled air, sipping a B-52-and-coffee when I'm just too lazy to walk home.

Call me the etermal optimist, but I keep hoping that *someday* there will be a dirt fragrance that works for me. I differentiate the soil/loam/dirt scents out from just "earthy" - while a lot of the patchouli-based scents seem earthy to me, dirt is a whole 'nother matter. My problem is that it goes very dry on me... and as a result, ends up smelling like dry mold. Which leads to an "AAAACCCKK! Spores!" reaction in my little brain. But I digress. As Penny Dreadful seemed like a more perfumey dirt, I tried it. Wet: Pure dirt. Dry: The perfumes definitely come out in this one, and there's a hint of spiciness. But it's not enough to combat the dry, spore-laden dirty mold scent I get from the loamy blends. While better on me than Graveyard Dirt, Zombi and Nosferatu were, Penny is still just dreadful with my chemistry.

Fire Eater's an odd one... I've had my Odditorium for a little while now, and have been holding off on writing a review because I want to make sure to give it a fair shake. It really didn't smell like... well, anything the first few times I tried it, but that was probably because I was trying at least three other oils at the same time. Now it's the only thing on my skin, and it's making its presence known, albeit subtly. In the bottle: How can a scent that contains no alcohol smell so... alcoholy? Not boozy, but that cold "put the lid on, dammit, I'm evaporating!" sensation you get from rubbing alcohol. And a clean soapy scent - kind of astringent. Someone else mentioned this smelling like fuel, and I can see the associations - it smells conflagrant. On: Well, this is different. In a complete 180 from how it smelled in the bottle, on my skin it's a warm smoky floral and musk blend. Maybe a bit of incense. This smells like a posh commercial blend to me, very sophisticated. I'm thinking it might be red musk I smell... but it's coming across as more "classy" than "sexy" - this is definitely a feminine scent on me, but a versatile one that could be worn for day as well as evening. After trying this several times and having it work so beautifully today, I'm afraid that my chemistry might be momentarily messed up - I hope not, because this is quite lovely.

In the imp: Aaagh! Cherry - or almond, they smell the same to me... evil, evil cyanide But in the name of science, I'll test it out anyway. Wet on skin: Yep, cherry and/or almond... *sticks arm out window and waits for drydown* Dry: Huh... total morph to roses and cloves. I can see this being a blend favored by courtesans. Lightly spicy, and very decadent smelling... this is all about satin sheets sprinkled with velvety rose petals. Rowr. I'm really happy that it's so clovey on me, because roses are often a bit overwhelming and artificial smelling on my skin.

Holy crap, that's vanilla! On me, the florals are very, very subtle... the soft, creamy vanilla note really takes center stage. There's not a lot of difference between wet and dry stages with my chemistry. All in all, its a lovely and very feminine blend... I can see some of my guy friends really digging this on me. Hmm, can something still smell "innocent" if there are not-so-innocent ulterior motives involved?

I've felt like I'm in bizarro-land lately, because all the blends containing rose that I've tried lately have worked on me! Who knew? In the imp - whoa, minty! I like mint. This smells like a nice crisp, cool blend. Wet - for a few minutes, I get an almost lotusy note as the mint and florals start to balance out. Drydown - the roses come out a little more than I'd like, but they're still not screaming or artificial, like they so often are with my chemistry. I think the violet and the other florals are offering some balance here. This is a very fresh, springy girlish scent that captures the concept quite well. It conjures up images of roses and grass covered with dew, and the lightening of the sky before dawn. A youthful and optimistic scent.

In the imp: Sandalwood... I'm not getting much else yet. On: Ah, there's everything else! I definitely smell the musk and spices, and I can sense the amber lurking underneath. I was really worried about the rose in this, as roses are my nemisis, but it seems to be staying in the background, adding to the blend rather than overpowering it. Once in a while I get a waft of mandarin. This one is similar to Scherezade on me - sweet and smokey incense. Quite lovely!

In the imp/wet on skin: Arg... I'm a fan of dry wood smells, but this definitely isn't dry. There's a sharp green/sour pungent note that's making me ill. Drydown: as the oil dries on my skin, the scent gets drier as well; I can definitely smell a big dose of patchouli and incense in here. A little spicy, but mostly incensy. Others compared this one to Silk Road, and I see a bit of similarity... but I think I'll have to stick with Silk Road, for more spices and no sharp/green initial stage.

Preconceived notions: Let's see, "earthy," and the imp shows a brownish oil... my bet is that this one has patchouli. Smelling the imp, I get eucalyptus and patchouli. Wet: Patchouli, eucalyptus (or juniper? they're very similar to my nose), maybe a bit of pine? These aren't notes I think of as being very "me," but I'll try anything once. I'm getting an odd, almost sour pungent note in the background; almost vinegary. How odd. I smell like a mystical underground... pickle. Um, that's funky. Drydown: OK, the momentary sense of pickle-ness has gone away, and it's all greenery and patchouli. Later on, this is a lightly spicy baby powder on me - but that's typical of what patchouli does with my chemistry. While this isn't really me, a nice one for earthy/green/patchouli lovers.

In the imp: Lavender... hmm, usually not a good note for me. Wet: Lavender, yes - but also citrus. The lavender's almost overwhelmed by lemon - not pledgy lemon, but a clean, bright lemon. These aren't usually notes that work on me, but this is kind of a nice change - a bit sharp, but very airy. Drydown: This goes extremely soapy on me (not necessarily a bad thing, I kind of like soap!). It's pleasant, but has lost some of the airy-ness I'd expect from this elemental. Still, very clean and fresh, a good spring and summer scent.